# of Players: 2-6
Time: 20-60 Minutes
Gamer Type: Casual
Game Type: Card Acquisition
Complexity: 4
Courts have always been a center of intrigue. Empires have risen and fallen based on the choices of kings and queens. In Regency by Pique Games, you sit in the royal throne and choose the court who will make you the best ruler in the land.
Story
The story of the game is interesting. The designers took classic leaders from history and placed them in a battle royal to become the Optimus Princeps. The stories of the famous or infamous rulers are listed on the card, but the battle itself soon becomes the key focus of the game. This leads to a rich playing experience for all players. 6 out of 10.
Artwork
There is not other way to look at the artwork in Regency than the fact that it is beautiful. Each card has a scene on it that draws players into the game and immerses them into the story. Nearing MTG quality, the pictures all relate to the topic at hand and help build the story as you play the game. 8 of 10.
Mechanics
The game has interesting mechanics of card acquisition on the table while rotating the hand, sometimes rather quickly. With the card shuffling acting as the randomizer on the table and in the deck, you have a semi-dual randomizer game. This makes things very interesting. One note is that if you have experienced gamers playing, the game can be a little drawn out as the card manipulation allows for directed attacks on opposing players in larger games. 7 of 10.
Strategy
Regency is a strategy game; once you have an understanding of what the cards are, you can really plan your game around the odds of a card falling into your hand. That being said, it holds three of the big four in the strategy category. Players can go all offense: this means that you use the attack rather than the currency of each card. There is also the defensive strategy, which is not quite as developed but leaves room for an excellent expansion (Vikings and Native Americans?). Other than just trying to be the fastest player to fill your court, which is the point of the game, there is not a lot of room for rush.
The interesting component of strategy in this game is the engine building. With a four card hand that refills at the end of each turn but can be manipulated by other players on the table, engine building is a risky but rewarding strategy. Any time you hold a card (or a good hand) you risk other players corrupting it or taking it all together! 6.5 of 10.
Novelty and Overall Score
Regency is not just another card floppier. It falls somewhere in the no-man’s land between race games (where you just try to outrun your opponent with no interaction) and battle games where you try to destroy your opponent’s chance to win. This allows it to stand out in its field, which earns it a novelty score of 7.5 of 10.
Overall, the game performs quite well. It is simple enough that most gamers can pick it up very quickly. It also has enough nuance that it is different each time you play it. In this game, you are truly playing against your opponents. With an overall score of 35, this is a great game to have in your collection. Can you be the greatest ruler in history?
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